Selfie Culture

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Selfie Culture

I used to be one of associate selfie culture as something that only narcissists engage in. But that was only because all the pictures I took of myself ended up looking like I was giving a serious case of the stink-eye. (Or they looked like roadkill, whatever you want to compare it too. I realize that I’m probably exaggerating but I love doing that, so leave me be!)

But recent comments and photos have made me think otherwise.

‘Selfie’ recently became the Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year and it’s pretty obvious why. With Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Vine and many other social networking sites coming into fruition, it’s not hard to be convinced to take a vanity shot of yourself. In fact, it would probably just be easier to join in on the fun rather than make fun of others who do it. After all, selfies are a reminder that we like the way we look and that we’re comfortable in our own skin.

That’s why I think this picture I found on Tumblr said it best:

If anyone knows who made this, please let me know so I can give proper credit)

Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig also said it best when praising the selfie. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he said:

“I think that anybody who’s anti-selfie is really just a hater. Because, truthfully, why shouldn’t people take pictures of themselves? When I’m on Instagram and I see that somebody took a picture of themselves, I’m like, ‘Thank you.’ I don’t need to see a picture of the sky, the trees, plants. There’s only one you. … There’s all this bulls–t about ‘the younger kids today are more self-absorbed.’ It’s like, give me a f–king break! I’ve been in nursing homes, where my grandma is. I’ve seen some of the most selfish people on the planet in there. … And the world that these kids are born into literally could not get more selfish. The world is so f–ked-up and unequal and full of a–holes. You can’t blame it on the younger generation.”

So yes. Learn to love your body. Be comfortable in it. And take a selfie. And you wanna know how to do a good one? *Hint* It’s all about the angle and the lighting.